Life, Death and Magic: Moonspell Reimagined (Harry Potter/Twilight Crossover)

Chapter Twelve:

CHAPTER TWELVE:

Apparently, now that I wasn't possible boyfriend material, McKayla had been given me the official title of Gay Best Friend.

The first time she had asked me what I thought about her shoes I'd just stared– I'd improved since then. At least it was a small price to pay to occasionally be required to offer a critique for her hair, or to put up with the stares, whispers and occasional shoulder shoving from some of the older boys. Only one student had called me a faggot– it hadn't actually bothered me, being called 'Mudblood' with such vitriol and disgust and hatred for years had made me all but immune to name-calling. I heard later, though, that Archie, who had been near enough to overhear him, had had words with that student, likely with the dangerous Judith lurking by his side, like she usually was, a silent but menacing presence. Nobody had dared call me a derogatory name to my face since.

And then McKayla started talking about me coming to the dance anyway and I could have torn out my own hair in my frustration.

"It doesn't matter if you don't have a partner," she said in Biology, leaning forwards in a way that put her cleavage very much at eye-level, something she didn't seem to be concerned about now that I was officially 'out of the closet'. "Nobody really even dances at these things, anyway," she said, with a small laugh, "they're just a chance to dress up and spend a Saturday night actually out doing something. There's pretty much nothing else to do in Forks."

I agreed with her about the Forks bit– there really was nothing to do here, and her words had also given me an idea.

"I'm sorry, McKayla, but I'm going to be in Seattle." Pretending to be very far away from Forks wouldn't be so hard with everyone from my year at the dance.

"Does it have to be that weekend?" McKayla asked, sounding disappointed. I was genuinely touched that she seemed to still want to spend time with me, even now that there was no chance of dating in our future, but I still had absolutely no intention of going to that dance.

"Yeah, I thought it would be a good day with everyone at the dance and I've already organized it all with Char– mom, sorry." I said.

"Will you come dress shopping with me?" McKayla asked, hopefully. "Becca, Erica and I are driving to Port Olympia after school on Friday, you can help give me advice."

Yep, definitely the Gay Best Friend I thought with a sigh. But I was feeling charitable towards McKayla, so before I could stop myself I nodded and her face lit up.

"It's going to be so much fun!" She exclaimed, and while Mrs. Banner entering the room had her sliding off my desk and heading back to her own, I was under no illusion that the conversation wasn't going to continue, and our trip to be planned in agonizing detail.

Edythe, until now a silent presence on the other side of the desk, spoke up. She sounded amused. "Dress shopping?"

"I know," I sighed. "I'm going to have to go to the library to read fashion magazines after school."

Edythe smiled. "As it happens, Archie owns more fashion magazines then the entire population of Forks does together. Definitely more then this town's pitiable excuse of a library."

"Is that an offer?" I asked. She grinned.

"Sit with me tomorrow and they're yours until Friday." My heart almost skipped a beat.

"We can't sit together," I reminded her. "We're not friends."

"I said it would be better if we weren't friends, not that I didn't want to be."

"Well that's as clear as mud." I couldn't help but comment. I understood her, though. More then she knew.

"It would be more... prudent for you not to be my friend," Edythe explained. "But I'm tired of trying to stay away from you, Beau." There was no humor in her face now. Her eyes were intense, narrowed, the long lines of her lashes stark black against her skin. Her voice had a strange heat to it. I couldn't remember how to breathe. Damn it, I thought helplessly. She was supposed to be the one with all the self-restraint– not me!